Israel Shoots Down a Lebanese Civilian Plane

An Israeli attack helicopter shot down a small Lebanese civilian plane that crossed the tense border Thursday, the first anniversary of Israel’s pullout from southern Lebanon.

The pilot of the Cessna 152, identified as a Lebanese flight student unauthorized to fly alone, was killed as his craft crashed near the Mediterranean resort town of Mikhmoret, about 60 miles south of the border.

The Israeli military, which had been on high alert for possible attacks by Hezbollah guerrillas because of the anniversary, fired only after the pilot did not respond to repeated radio contact for 30 minutes, said Maj. Gen. Dan Halutz, the air force commander.

“We tried many times to contact the airplane using international signals,” Halutz said. He said the military had suspected that the pilot was planning a suicide attack on a populated area.

The downing of the plane came amid continued clashes between Israelis and Palestinians on Thursday, despite international efforts to end eight months of violence during which more than 550 people have been killed.

Two Palestinians were shot to death Thursday in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian militants earlier fired mortar shells at a Jewish settlement.

The Cessna pilot, Stefan Nikolian, 43, had flown three or four times this week with an instructor and had been scheduled to so Thursday, said Nemeh Malek, director of JR Executives, the plane’s owner. But he took off without the pilot.

There was no immediate word on whether the plane was carrying weapons or explosives.